


Rough Edges

by Longitudinalwave



Series: Transformers: Roll Out [2]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Autism Spectrum, F/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:26:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27753799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Longitudinalwave/pseuds/Longitudinalwave
Summary: Night and Splasher push the boundaries of their respective teams.
Relationships: Twister/Silver
Series: Transformers: Roll Out [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2030146





	1. Night

**Author's Note:**

> Like Splasher, I am on the autism spectrum. However, if any other people on the spectrum have thoughts about how he could be better portrayed, please tell me!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thanks for checking out my story! 
> 
> This is the direct sequel to "The New Recruits" and is set in the same universe. You should read that story first.

A jet-black Panavia Tornado flew over the mountains of Appalachia, searching for trouble and eager to find it. If he had to be stuck on this planet, he was going to get something out of it, one way or another. Since financial compensation was being denied him, he would take being able to show off his superiority to his employer’s enemies instead. 

“Night, what are you d-d-doing?” Night groaned when he saw the Harrier jet. He hadn’t realized that Shiver had tailed him! He hoped that the younger jet had followed him out of curiosity rather than on Frozen’s orders, because Frozen would not be pleased if she found out about his plans. Either way, though, he needed to get rid of the kid. Even if he wasn’t a spy, he would do nothing but slow Night down and get in his way.

“That information is on a need-to-know basis, Shiver. And you don’t need to know.” 

“B-b-but if Frozen finds out that you’ve left, she’ll interrogate m-m-me first, and if I d-d-don’t have an answer, she might think I’m conspiring with you or something!” 

“I doubt it. The General Ma’am may be harsh, but she’s not stupid. She knows that you’re too much of a wuss to ever deliberately disobey her, and she’s not in the habit of brutalizing quiet, obedient soldiers-unlike some others I could name,” Night replied. Shiver whimpered, no doubt remembering what Ruckus had done to him prior to Frozen joining the fold and reminding Night of one of the many reasons he had had for hating Ruckus. While Ruckus’ death had been a great loss from a tactical standpoint, Night had no stake in this war. As far as he was concerned, the arrogant creep’s death had been long overdue. Besides having used Shiver, a pathetically easy target, as his personal punching bag, he had attempted to do the same to Night when the jet had first been hired by Annihilator, and Night had never forgiven him for it. 

“B-b-but when she g-g-gets angry, she’s really scary. What if she loses control and I g-g-get hurt?” Shiver asked. 

“Trust me, if she’s gonna hurt anyone over this, it’s gonna be me or Sonic, not you,” Night replied, hoping that that rather irritating fact would get the wimp to leave already. Shiver seemed to be the only member of the unit that the General Ma’am could actually tolerate. She found Destruction and Sonic to be irritating, which Night could sympathize with, but, for whatever reason, she seemed to find HIM irritating as well. Night thought that this was extraordinarily unfair. He was a mercenary, not a Decepticon! He didn’t care how “dishonorable” she thought his pursuit of an honest livelihood was; he fought for pay, not for some stupid cause nobody even remembered anymore. What had she expected him to do when she told him that she wasn’t going to pay him for his services, just roll over and join a cause he thought was stupid? If he hadn’t been stuck on Earth (and possessed of a healthy respect for Frozen’s combat acumen), he would have left as soon as his paychecks stopped coming in, but, as it was, he had no recourse but to try to annoy her into sending him back to Cybertron as soon as possible. It was her own fault, really. 

“B-b-but…” 

“Look, I have no desire to baby-sit you, so if you don’t get lost right now, the General Ma’am will be the least of your problems,” Night said menacingly. Shiver squeaked and rapidly took off in the opposite direction. Night laughed. He wouldn’t really have hurt the twerp-much-but watching Shiver freak out was always good for a chuckle. Having gotten rid of his unwanted company, Night increased his speed and set course for Autobot Headquarters. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading.


	2. Neutron

At the Autobots’ base, Neutron (Prime, he was the  _ Prime  _ now) was uncomfortably seated behind his predecessor’s desk, trying to ignore how unworthy he felt to have his older brother, who had not only been Arduum Prime’s second-in-command all of his life, but had also been a famed war hero, reporting to  _ him _ . 

“I’m telling you, kid, there’s something wrong with that boat. I’ve dealt with all kinds of idiots and weirdos in my time, but I’ve never seen anyone like him,” Twister said. 

“What’s he doing?” 

“I don’t really know how to explain it. He doesn’t talk back, he doesn’t rush in impulsively, he’s not overconfident, he doesn’t agitate the other two...if he did something like that, I could deal with it! I can deal with hotheads. I don’t know what to do with him! He only seems to hear half my commands, he never makes optic contact, he doesn’t chat with the twins, he rocks in place or flaps his hands in front of his face plates when he’s not actively moving around…..it’s like he’s got a programming glitch or something!” Twister replied, sounding frustrated. Neutron knew that his older brother took pride in his ability to whip soldiers into shape, so he could guess how frustrating this probably was for him. 

“Maybe he’s shy,” Neutron suggested. If Splasher’s oddities really did derive from shyness, Neutron could sympathize with him. Unlike Arduum and Twister, who seemed to thrive off of commanding and interacting with others, he had always felt uncomfortable around large groups….which made it all the more mystifying that the Matrix had selected him, rather than his capable older brother, to be the new leader. 

“I don’t think shyness is it...at least, not all of it. You’re shy, but you still make optic contact pretty consistently, and you don’t rock or flap your hands, either. I’m not saying he isn’t shy, but there’s definitely something else going on, and I’m at a loss to figure out what.” 

“Well, if it is a glitch, maybe Silver will be able to tell us something about what’s going on,” Neutron suggested. As if on cue, Silver walked into the room. 

“I just did a physical on our new recruits,” she said.

“How are they?” Neutron asked. Silver smiled. 

“They seem to be in perfect health,” she replied. 

“Did you notice anything odd about Splasher?” 

“No. Why?” 

“Because there’s something wrong with him!” Twister exclaimed. 

“Oh, so it’s his idiosyncrasies you’re concerned about. I’m not an expert on the functioning of the CPU specifically, but I do have a hypothesis as to why he behaves the way he does. Splasher has displayed a lot of symptoms of Soli Sapiunt, a relatively rare alternative programming of the CPU. Due to the ongoing war, there haven’t been a lot of case studies written about robots who are programmed that way, but it’s reasonably well-known in psychological circles. It’s actually rather similar to the human condition known as Autism Spectrum Disorder,” Silver replied. 

“Which means?” Twister asked, sounding a bit impatient and very confused. Neutron felt equally confused. Unlike Silver, neither he nor Twister had spent much time researching either Cybertronian programming or human psychology. 

“Humans who are on the Autism Spectrum, and, from what we know, Cybertronians with the Soli Sapiunt programming type, simply think differently from their peers. They have different interpreting body language and social cues, and they’re often deeply uncomfortable in social situations due to their inability to read others. If I’m right, that’s probably why he’s isolating himself, and it’s also why he’s not making optic contact,” Silver explained. Neutron frowned, concerned for his new teammate.

“Is there anything else I need to know?” He certainly didn’t want to do anything that would make things more difficult for the boatformer. 

“Actually, yes. The repetitive actions-the rocking, the hand flapping- are what human psychologists refer to as “stereotypies”. They’re used as a calming mechanism when he’s feeling anxious or receiving too much sensory input. No doubt coming to an entirely different planet, being surrounded by strangers, and joining a military unit has been stressful for him, and that’s probably why he’s been doing it so frequently. Many individuals with the Soli Sapiunt programming are somewhat or entirely nonverbal, which means that they don’t speak or have a limited verbal vocabulary, but as far as I can tell, that doesn’t seem to be the case with Splasher. Furthermore, individuals with the Soli Sapiunt programming tend to have incredibly intense, focused interests which they know a great deal about. Since he seems to be fairly verbal, we’ll probably be hearing about whatever that interest is quite frequently. Mechs and femmes with Soli Sapiunt also don’t tend to like changes in their routine, so surprising him is probably not a good idea if it isn’t absolutely necessary,” Silver said. Twister frowned. 

“Sounds like he could be a liability,” he said. 

“Twister!” Silver exclaimed. 

“I’m just stating facts, Silver. I have nothing against the guy, but as a soldier, a mech who has trouble reading others could be a serious danger to himself and his teammates,” Twister replied. 

“Which is why I’ve been saying that we should use him in a way that doesn’t require him to be on the battlefield. Not everyone is made to be a soldier, even during a war, but that doesn’t mean he’s not useful to us.” 

“That may be true, but the fact remains that we recruited him to be a soldier! We need him to be a soldier, and if he can’t do that, it’s a serious problem!” 

“But we can’t send him back to Cybertron now that he’s been recruited by us. No one would have anything to do with him,” Silver protested. Neutron tried to say something, but Twister cut him off before he could. 

“I KNOW! I know, okay? That’s why this is so frustrating! We needed a soldier, and now we’re stuck with a mech who may never be one.” As Twister and Silver continued to debate, Neutron sighed and buried his head in his hands. Why hadn’t the Matrix made one of them the leader instead? Surely either one of them would be better at handling this than he would! 


	3. Splasher

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Splasher gets his first POV chapter!

Elsewhere in the base, Splasher was gathering up his art supplies, thrilled at the prospect of finally being able to paint a landscape that wasn’t bleak, war-torn, and ugly. His adoptive creators had never really understood his fascination with painting, let alone the differences between romantic landscapes and impressionist landscapes, and had dismissed his passion as one of his “silly idiosyncrasies”. He had never known how to explain to them the joy he found in choosing palettes or the comfort that painting scenes that were perfectly balanced brought him, and even when he had tried to explain, they simply asked him to “stop babbling about your little hobby, please”. Hopefully, his new teammates would be able to see at least a glimmer of the glory he saw in the creation of beautiful landscape portraits…..if he ever worked up the nerve to talk to them. As he headed outside the base itself to paint the mountainous landscape outside, the small green robot who had been recruited with him came up to him. 

“Hey, there. How’s it hanging?” he asked. Splasher was puzzled. 

“I don’t know. If you tell me what’s hanging, I might be able to describe how it’s doing that,” he replied. The little green robot laughed. 

“I like you. You’ve got a good sense of humor,” he said. Splasher wasn’t sure what he’d said that had been so humorous, but he was glad that Ruddish seemed to like him. 

“Thank you,” he said. 

“No problem, big guy. You’re Splasher, right?” 

“I am Splasher. It is nice to meet you. Who are you?” His adoptive creators had taught him to say that when he was introduced to someone. 

“Ruddish. Where are you headed?” 

“I’m going outside to paint the landscape there. I’ll probably use an acrylic-based paint, because I’m running low on my oil-based paints, and I think I’m probably going to go with a classical style, especially since I’m unfamiliar with this planet’s environment.” 

“You have fun with that. I’ll see you around,” he said. With that, he left before Splasher could continue telling him about the landscape he had planned. Splasher frowned. Oh, well. He’d just have to explain it in more detail next time. Splasher walked outside and was stunned by what he saw. This part of the planet had a beautiful landscape! He’d never seen anything like it on Cybertron! He carefully set up his easel, carefully chose his pallet and brush, and set out a thin sheet of aluminum to paint on. Before he could begin painting, however, a strange-looking black jet appeared out of nowhere and then transformed in front of him. 

“I am Splasher. It is nice to meet you. Who are you?” he asked, trying to hide the fact that he was slightly annoyed. Couldn’t this stranger see that he was busy? 

“Me? I’m the harbinger of your doom,” the other mech said. Then Splasher noticed the Decepticon insignias on his wings. An alarm went off, and Splasher winced. He hated loud noises; they made his audio receptors feel like they were going to explode! Unsure of what to do, and practically paralyzed with fear, Splasher waved his hands in front of his face plates, trying to reduce the anxiety that the loud noise and disruption to his schedule were causing him. The jet laughed, but it didn’t sound like a nice laugh. Instead, it sounded mean. 

“What’s wrong with you? Aren’t you gonna fight me?” 

“I don’t believe in fighting!” Splasher exclaimed, his stress making him loud. His female creator-the one that had created him, not the one that had adopted him after she died- had taught him that hurting others was wrong, and he believed that wholeheartedly, especially since seeing others in pain hurt him, too. That had been another thing his adoptive creators hadn’t really understood. The black jet laughed again, and then raised his arm, puzzling Splasher. What was so funny about raising an arm? Suddenly, the small green robot rushed out of the base.

“Oh, no you don’t, Decepticon scum!” He ran in between Splasher and the jet and pulled out a rather battered-looking gun. He pointed it at the black jet, only for the black jet to fire at the light green robot, who gave a pained scream. A few seconds later, the small, maroon-colored female, the black-and-white mech, and the Prime emerged from the base as well. 

“Ruddish!” the maroon-colored female exclaimed. 

“Stay back! That’s an order! I’ll deal with this!” the black-and-white mech exclaimed. He yelled something at Splasher, too, but between the alarm and the unexpectedness of the whole situation, Splasher couldn’t focus on what he was saying. Then he pulled out a gun of his own and started firing at the black mech, who returned to his alternate mode and began a dizzying display of aerial maneuvers. Splasher, for his part, clamped his hands over his audio receptors in an attempt to block out all the dreadful noise. A short while later, the jet rocketed away, and the noise died down. Relieved, Splasher gathered up his supplies as the maroon female ran over to her twin. 

“Will he be all right?” she asked. Splasher felt awful for her. She looked really upset. He wanted to comfort her, but he wasn’t sure how to do it without messing it up. The black-and-white mech knelt beside her and looked at the unconscious light green mech. 

“Should be. He got lucky. Looks like the shot just grazed him. He’ll still need to see Silver, but he’ll survive.” Then he turned to Splasher. 

“What happened, soldier?” he barked. 

“I was about to paint a classical landscape portrait, using acrylic paint. I had just chosen my palette and set up my easel when that black jet arrived. Then the alarm went off, and it was really loud, and I didn’t know what to do, and then the little green mech ran out and pulled out a gun, but before he could do something with it, the black jet shot at him first. Are all the battles going to be that loud?” he explained nervously. This mech always seemed angry at him, and he didn’t know why. 

“Why didn’t  _ you  _ do something when the Decepticon showed up?” 

“Because no one’s told me what to do when a Decepticon shows up. And the alarm was so loud!” Splasher replied, unsure how to explain his fear of choosing the wrong response to someone, as he always seemed to do without someone else’s input. The black-and-white mech just scowled at him. 

“Let this be a lesson for both of you. Until you’re properly trained, if a Decepticon shows up, you should fetch me...or Neutron Prime. Don’t stand there doing nothing, and definitely don’t attempt to attack them. Either one of those things will get you killed! Do you understand?” he yelled. Splasher winced. He hated it when others got angry at him, because he never knew why they were upset. 

“Yes, sir,” the maroon female said. Figuring this was the right thing to say, Splasher echoed her. A few seconds later, the light grey robot emerged from the base as well. 

“Is everyone all right?” she asked. Then she noticed the small green mech and ran over to him. Not long after she knelt down next to him and started examining him, he woke up. 

“What hit me?” he asked. The black-and-white robot scowled. Splasher whimpered. Now he was even more mad! 

“A blast from a Decepticon, that’s what. What were you thinking, charging him like that?” 

“I was trying to blast that Decepticrum, that’s what!” 

“You were reckless and stupid! You’ve had no training! You were lucky that you didn’t get yourself killed, running head-on at a Decepticon like that! Do you have any idea who you were fighting?” he yelled. 

“No, but-” 

“That jet who shot you was Night! You aren’t experienced enough to fight any of the Decepticons on Earth yet, but you’re especially not ready to handle him! He’s an incredibly skilled mercenary; and as far as we can tell he’s been fighting for over half of your entire life! Your actions were incredibly stupid and your idiocy put yourself and your teammate in danger! You’re the son of a military veteran! You should have known better than to pull a stunt like that, and because you did, you’re confined to your quarters until I say otherwise! Don’t you ever do something that idiotic again!”

“I...I just wanted to be a hero, like my dad,” the green mech said sadly. 

“Heroes don’t rush in blindly and endanger their allies. What you did wasn’t heroic-it was stupid and selfish!” The green robot looked terrified, which was just how Splasher felt. 

“Twister, that’s enough, dear,” the grey robot said gently. Splasher relaxed slightly. She seemed nice. In response, the black-and-white mech, who was presumably named Twister, seemed to calm down as well.

“Look, kid...I’m not yelling at you because I hate you. I yelled at you because I don’t want you to get hurt. I’ve seen way too many soldiers get mowed down by the enemy because some young, well-meaning kid got reckless, and I don’t want to see you or the rest of this unit to get killed that way. This isn’t a game. Getting reckless can get you killed. Do you understand?”

“Y-yes, sir,” the small, green mech replied. 

“Good.” With that, he stood back up and walked over to the Prime as the grey robot started to patch up the small green mech. Splasher looked at the Prime curiously. He was the first to admit that social interactions mystified him, but he knew enough to know that the Prime should have been the one calling the shots….and yet he hadn’t done so. Instead, he had let Twister do it for him. But why? In the hopes of working out why, he walked a little closer to them….and was shocked to notice that the Prime looked younger than him! What was going on? 

“As soon as Silver gets finished with Ruddish, we need to continue our meeting, little brother. We’ve got a real problem on our hands,” Twister said.

“All right, Twister. We’ll finish the meeting as soon as he’s repaired,” the Prime replied. Splasher frowned. Something seemed off about the Prime, but he wasn’t sure exactly what. He doubted that he would be able to work it out any time soon, though, so he turned away from them and started gathering up his supplies. His landscape would have to wait for another day. By the time he had finished, the grey female was helping the little green robot back to his feet. 

“All right, you’re good to go,” she said. 

“Thanks!” he exclaimed. 

“Recruits, you’re dismissed! You can go back to your quarters!” Twister barked. Ruddish and Redina saluted and walked back inside the base. Splasher copied the salute, picked up his easel, and started heading back inside the base. Before he got inside, however, he heard the grey robot say, in a worried tone of voice,

“Neutron, we’ve got bad news. I just received word that the Autobot Council’s inspector is on his way to our base.” Splasher didn’t know what that meant, but from the horrified way that the Prime reacted, he was sure it wasn’t good. 

**To be continued…..**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thanks for reading!


End file.
